It is obvious from several passages of the Book of Hebrews that the experienced saints to whom the Book of Hebrews was written were in serious danger of falling away from the Lord.

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6)

For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:7,8)

It is a sad commentary on current Christian scholarship that no footnotes of the Bible editions we have read recognize that the sixth chapter of the Book of Hebrews is referring to backsliding Christians. The internal evidence of the text of the Book of Hebrews is clear that the believers being addressed were experienced Christians who were not pressing forward in Christ but were beginning to neglect their salvation. They were in danger of dying in the wilderness, so to speak.

Many of today's preachers and teachers apparently are unwilling to face the numerous exhortations of the New Testament concerning righteous behavior, to present clearly the dire warnings of the Lord and His Apostles addressed to the "lazy slave." This can be nothing else than the influence of the philosophy of Humanism—the love of man for himself instead of for God. Satan is behind much of the contemporary preaching of "God's love."

The warnings in the Gospels and the Epistles—in fact throughout the entire Scriptures for the most part—are not addressed to the Gentile nations (although some are) but to the Lord's elect, His chosen people, both physical Israel and Christians.

We invite the reader to consider a change in his understanding of salvation as being a ticket for admission to another place, to a change of his personality into the image that God has planned for him. Our present generation of Christians may be so imbued with the traditional concept of the ticket to Heaven that such revolutionary change in thinking is impossible. Perhaps we must look toward today's children as being the ones who will cross Jordan, who will move forward into the rest of God.

As old as we may be, however, we still can be a Joshua or a Caleb. At least we can give our children the best possible opportunity to become all that God envisions for them.

We may find that God finally will defeat the enemy by ordaining wisdom and strength from the mouth of the little ones. No doubt it is time to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers, for the great and terrible Day of the Lord is at hand.

To be continued.